


Killer Frost

by Jemma97



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Killer Frost - Freeform, SnowBarry - Freeform, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-29 00:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3876313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemma97/pseuds/Jemma97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Barry…” Joe’s strong arm comes around his shoulder, “She’s gone, Bar. She’s gone.”<br/>“No, she’s not,” Barry snaps back. Caitlin couldn’t be dead. She wasn’t. She wouldn’t die on him. Not now, when he needed her most.<br/>“There’s no pulse, Bar. There’s nothing you can do…”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Time seems to move in slow motion for Caitlin. It’s as if she’s Barry–running so fast that the world moves slower and nearly fades from view around her. Her vision tunnels onto him as she knows exactly what she has to do.

The blast hits her squarely in the chest, so powerful that it sends her flying and so cold that it seems to burn. She would scream if she could, but she can’t seem to find her breath. She hears someone yelling her name and someone else laughing, but she can’t even distinguish voices anymore. The only thing she can feel is the pain in her chest as someone gingerly picks her up off the ground. It hurts–oh God it hurts. The burning in her chest seems to be spreading all across her body, a roaring, freezing fire that threatens to consume her all together.

She doesn’t regret it–not one bit. She knows very well that if she hadn’t, Barry would have been hit by that blast from Snart’s gun, and she would never, never forgive herself if he got hurt when she could have stopped it.

She hears his voice, talking to her, pleading with her, saying her name over and over again, but her voice doesn’t seem to want to work. She can only lie motionless in Barry’s arms as the frost from Snart’s gun slowly spreads across her body.

~~

“C–Cait, come on! Caitlin, just give me a sign that you’re awake!” Barry’s choking back sobs now as he pulls Caitlin’s motionless, cold body closer to his chest. “Cait…” he tries again. He takes her hand in one of his. “Please, please wake up, Caitlin. I need you to wake up for me. You can’t go now. I need you,” He can feel her heartbeat against his own chest–fluttering weakly, as if it were working too hard. Her body is so frozen that it nearly hurts just to touch her.

He leans forward, pressing her icy forehead to his, his hands behind her neck. “Cait. Cait, please wake up. Wake up for me.”

She doesn’t respond–he knew she wouldn’t.

“Bar?” Joe’s voice speaks from behind him, and his hand comes to rest on Barry’s shoulder. Barry ignores him, keeping all his focus on the small, broken girl in his arms. His hot tears splash onto her cold cheeks and he wonders vaguely if that could help warm her up. He feels Joe groping around for Caitlin’s wrist before looking for a pulse.

“Barry…” Joe’s strong arm comes around his shoulder, “She’s gone, Bar. She’s gone.”

“No, she’s not,” Barry snaps back. Caitlin couldn’t be dead. She wasn’t. She wouldn’t die on him. Not now, when he needed her most.

“There’s no pulse, Bar. There’s nothing you can do…”

He won’t believe it. There’ s no way Barry can believe that Caitlin Snow is dead. “We–we’ll take her back to STAR Labs!” he tries desperately.

Joe spreads his palms in a shrug, “And then what? The only person who could possible save Caitlin is…well, Caitlin.”

Barry can almost feel the lightbulb go off over his head, “Then we’ll get Caitlin. We’ll get her.”

Joe’s brow furrows as Barry rises, cradling her lifeless body in his arms. Barry looks at him, his face set, “I’m a time traveller, Joe. I can do this. I can get her back if we just…”

“No.” Joe shakes head, “Barry, you know how dangerous time travel can be! You could end up doing more harm than good, or–”

Barry’s suddenly angry at Joe. How dare he try to tell Barry what he should and shouldn’t do to save someone he loved. Barry knows very well that Joe would do anything so save the people he loved. “If it were me,” he spits, “If it were me or Iris that was…that was hurt” (he refuses to say the word dead. It sounds to final) “like this, wouldn’t you do anything that you could to save us?”

Joe hesitates, knowing the answer but not wanting to give it to him. “Wouldn’t you?” Barry demands again.

“Yes. Of course I’d do anything. I’d do anything to save the people I love, Barry, you know that.”

Barry looks down at Caitlin’s face, so smooth and perfect, as if she were just sleeping and he could wake her at any moment. “That’s why I have to save her. That’s why I have to try.”


	2. Part 2

“Could it work?” **  
**

“This is cazy talk, Barry.”

“I’ve done it before. I’m asking you now. Could it work?”

Cisco hesitates, “It’s risky, Barry. But, yeah, it could work. It will work. The thing is I just…don’t know how far back it’ll take you. You could travel back to yesterday, or you could travel a hundred years back. I don’t know. It’s never been done before.”

Barry nods. He knows the risk. He doesn’t even need to think it through, like Joe suggested he do. He only knows if he can’t save her, he can sure as hell try. “Are you really going to do this?” Cisco’s voice sounds a little uncertain, which suddenly makes Barry angry.

“She’s your best friend, Cisco,” he says, whirling on him, “I am not going to just walk away and let her die on me, not when I know I can do something to save her.”

Cisco glances at Caitlin, lying lifeless on the hospital bed that Barry used to occupy. “You should do anything and everything you can to save her…”

“Yeah. That’s why I have to–”

“But don’t make me lose you, too,” Cisco winces at how weak he sounds, but he continues anyway, “I already lost my boss, who I trusted….now don’t make me lose both of my best friends, too.”

Barry holds his gaze for a moment, “You’re not going to lose either of your best friends. Not on my watch.”

~~

“Caitlin!” Barry’s voice, on the other side of the phone is desperate, scared, and very anxious. “Caitlin!” he says again before she can even answer. “Cait, oh God, please answer me. C–”

“Barry,” she tries to keep her voice calm, even though she’s freaking out a little. Whatever was happening, it couldn’t be good….

“You–” his voice is choked, and she hears silence for a moment, and then a sigh of relief. “Where are you?”  He asks.

“At home? Why?”

“Okay.” A brief whooshing sound, then, “I’m at the door now. Sure enough, she hears the doorbell ring. Still confused, she hangs up her phone and makes her way to the door. When she opens it, she hears him suck in his breath–in shock? Surprise? She’s not sure; he’s acting especially weird today.

He stands there, staring at her, his mouth agape for what feels like a solid minute. She raises her eyebrows quizzically at him. “Caitlin…” he says, stepping into the door. He reaches out, placing a hand on the side of her face, a gesture that, while doesn’t make her uncomfortable, certainly surprises her. He pats her cheek, before moving his fingers to comb through her hair for a moment. “Barry…” she says, confused, but liking the feeling of his hands touching her so gently.

“Are…are you real, Caitlin?”

Was some freaky metahuman business going down? Something she didn’t know about? Was there another metahuman who could shapeshift, now that Bates was dead? “Of course I’m real, Barry.”

He puts his arms around her neck, pulling him close to his chest and squeezing tightly onto her. “Oh God, Cait…” he says. She accepts his hug, now extremely worried. After a moment she pulls back, her eyebrows furrowed as she inspects him. “Safe word?” she questions. After the whole Bates situation, she’d decided they definitely needed a word that they’d definitely need a safe word to make sure who was who.

For the first time, he notices her confusion. “Sorry,” he apologizes, taking a step back. And, in response to his safe word, he responds, “Nora.”

She nods, satisfied, and leans back to take a look at him. His hands are still resting on her shoulders, and she can feel them shaking. “What happened?”

“It–it’s a bit of a long story. And it’s kind of confusing…” he sucks in his breath, suddenly remembering something, “W–what date is it?”

“Today? …April 16th, why?”

“2015?”

She understands immediately. “Barry, were you time travelling?”

He hesitates, and she knows he’s remembering Well’s conversation about how dangerous it could be for the timeline if other people know of the time travel. “…no,” he answers hesitantly.

She puts her hands on her hips, “Bartholomew Henry Allen, you answer me this instant!”   He repents like a small child, hanging his head and slumping to the couch. She follows him, and they sit next to each other. “How far back did you go?” she asks.

“One day.”

“Okay, and…what exactly happens in the future that makes you go back?”

He hesitates for a moment. Then, “Well…you know how….dangerous Snart can be?”

“The man who kidnapped me, and then kidnapped Cisco and his brother, and knows your identity and is constantly trying to kill you? Yeah, I know exactly how dangerous he can be.”

‘Well, he…” Barry seems have an internal struggle for another moment, “…in this other reality…this alternate timeline…he’s causing a lot of havoc over the city. And, of course, I was trying to stop him.”

“So the time travelling was an accident.”

He scratches his head, “Yes?”

She furrows her brow, thinking. Barry will probably know exactly where Snart’s going to be. If they hurry, then can put him away before he causes any damage to the city. “Alright then,” she says, “We can stop Snart before he does anything now.” She flips open her phone, dialing Cisco’s number.

~~

He keeps his eyes steadily on her, not wanting to let her out of his sight for even one moment. They’re at S.T.A.R. lab’s now,  Caitlin working up a way to defeat that idiot Snart, and Barry sitting in a chair, just watching her.

“What’s up?” Joe enters the room from behind him, casually. Barry turns, grateful that he was here. Of all people who would know what to do right now, Joe would. “Can I…just talk to you real quick?” Barry asks. Joe raises an eyebrow, hearing the worry in Barry’s voice. “Sure?” He answers with uncertainty.

Barry glances back at Caitlin. She’s out of earshot, but stil close enough that he can keep an eye on her and be there if she needs him. “Bar,” Joe says, his voice filled with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Barry’s voice is tight, “Can you…bring Caitlin back to the station with you? Or—no, bring her back to the house. Or…I don’t know. Just don’t let her out of your sight.”

Joe glances at Caitlin, too, worried, “Why? Is she sick? Cisco said something about Snart coming back…”

“Yeah—yeah he’s back. And I can take care of him.” Barry’s confident that he can. He  _has_ seen the future, after all, and he knows exactly what Captain Cold will be up to.

Joe, however, is less confident. “You can beat Snart… _without_ Caitlin?” He asks, his voice a little too condescending.

“Yes. Of course I can,” Barry answers, although his certainty is wavering by the second. “I don’t need Caitlin to be a superhero, Joe. I can do it without her.”

It doesn’t fool Joe for a second. “Uh huh,” he says, sarcasm dripping off his words. Then, “Barry, tell me what’s wrong. Because you and I  _both_ know that there’s no way you could do  _any_  of this without Caitlin” Barry starts to protest, but Joe puts up a hand and gives him a stern dad-look, silencing him. Joe continues, “So  _no,_ I’m not going to bring her back to the station or to her house because you need her, and this city needs you—”

“I just watched the woman I love  _die,_ Joe.” The words slip out in a low hiss before Barry can stop them.

Joe stares at him for a beat, and Barry can almost see a million situations running through his mind. Before he says, his voice trembling, “You—Iris?” His muscles are tensed, as if ready to run to Iris’s rescue if needed.

“No..” Barry’s eyes land on her. Sitting across the room on the phone with Cisco. She’s doing that cute thing where she tries to talk with her hands, even though one hand is still firmly gripping her phone.

Joe’s eyes follow his, “…Caitlin? Caitlin’s going to die? Wait…you love Caitlin?”

Barry, not knowing how to answer the second question, tries to dismiss it, making a motion somewhere between a shrug and a nod. “There was an alternate timeline, “he explains, changing the subject away from his love life. It would be too hard to explain to Joe what Barry himself just figured out.

Joe nods, like he understands, “And…Caitlin dies in this timeline?” Barry nods.

“Bar, why don’t you just tell her?”

“Because—because it’ll put her in more danger!”  For some reason, this seems certain to Barry. If Caitlin knew about what happened to her in a different reality, she might try to make things worse—she did die saving him, after all. If he explained her death, he’d have to explain that she died saving him, and he knows very well that there is no way she’d let him face Snart again if she knew she was now putting  _his_ life in danger…

“No, Barry. Why don’t you tell her you love her?”

           “Snart’s been spotted!” Caitlin’s voice, shrill and sudden, makes them both jump.

           “Snart—what—where?” Barry asks, bewildered and suddenly quite flustered; he feels heat rising in his cheeks. Joe gives him a cheeky grin over Caitlin’s shoulder as she turns to him. She furrows her eyebrows, concerned,. “Why are you so flushed?” she asks, feeling his forehead for a temperature.

           He swats her away, only blushing harder now. “What? Nothing! It’s just…hot in here, that’s all. What’s the scoop on Snart?”

           She ignores his attempts to push her away and is now checking his pulse. “Cisco says Snart is in Forest Wheel Park, apparently not doing much except lying low and making plans—your pulse is normal. Well, normal for  _you._ ”

           Forest Wheel Park. Just hearing the name seems to send chills down his spine. That’s where she died—or, where she  _will_ die. Forest Wheel Park. She pulse out a little device that looks like a remote control. “This should reverse the polarity of his gun, but you have to be within a 13-foot radius of him. Think you can do that without getting frozen?”

           “Sure.” In the alternate timeline, he couldn’t—Captain Cold really was getting better and better at using his heat gun—but he was confident that he could do it this time. And he could do it on his  _own,_  even though—

           “Good, because I’m going with you.”

            _I knew you were going to say that._ He thinks bitterly. “Cait, you can’t. I can do I myself.”

           “You have  _no idea_ how to work this thing, and there’s not enough time for me to explain it to you—we have to get Snart while he’s not expecting it.”

           Barry sighs, frustrated, then turns to Joe, pleading with his eyes. Joe gets the message. “Actually, Caitlin, I think…you can help me back at the station. There’s, uh, some…things that we need someone of your skills to do.”

           Caitlin purses her lips, “Right  _now,_ Joe? We have a psycho on the loose, and you know as well as I do that Barry can’t do it himself.”

           Barry rises to face Joe, quickly—to quickly for either Joe or Caitlin to notice, he swipes Joe’s handcuffs, feeling that this was his only option left. “Joe, why don’t you just go to the station? Prepare some backup for Snart—oh, and  _don’t_  bring Eddie.” Barry can’t stand the thought of putting someone else he cares about in danger.

           Joe, nods, then exits. Barry turns his attention back towards Caitlin. “Listen…Cait.  I—I really think I can do this one on my own. I don’t think it’s necessary for you to come with me.”

           She shakes her head at him, “Why are you being so  _weird_ about this? We’ve faced Snart before, it’s not like—f”

           “Yeah, Cait, and in case you haven’t noticed…Snart’s won every time we’ve faced him! What if…what if something happeneds to you? Something bad, and it’s my fault…?”

           “Barry, nothing’s going to happen to me. I’ll be fine. Seriously, Barry.”

           He shakes his head, “I can’t let you go, Caitlin. I’m sorry.”

           She straightens to her five-foot-seven inches (five-ten with her heels), and speaks with a firm voice, “Barry Allen, I don’t know  _what_ is going on with you today, but you should know by now that I am not one to let you run into danger so easily, and if you need me for something—and you  _do_ need me for this, then I’m going to—”

           Her words are cut off by his lips. He feels her gasp a little against him, and he gives her a moment to pull away if she wants to. But she doesn’t want to. He pushes her backwards slightly, until she feels her hit the desk behind her. His hands move around her neck and he kisses her gently, basking in the feeling of how very warm, soft, and  _alive_ her lips were against his. He knows he has to enjoy it—enjoy her kissing him back, because she sure won’t be kissing him like this after—

 _Click.._ The sound of the handcuffs is final, cold, and somehow satisfying. She’s cuffed to one of the compute rmoniters—trapped until he lets her go. Which he  _won’t_ do until he knows it’s safe for her to come out.

           Her eyes widen. He’s still standing close—so close that he can feel her warm breath on his cheek. “Barry, what are you…?” Her voice indicates that she already knows exactly what he’s doing, but she’s too angry to really believe it.

           “You have to stay safe. Caitlin. Please, for me…”

           She’s  _really_ angry now. “Barry Allen! This is  _my_ life, and therefore  _my_ decisions! And if My decisions lead to putting me in danger then  _so be it!_ Because that’s what I decided my life would be when I met you—alright? And it’ my decision as to whether ornot I am putting my life in danger, not yours—got it?”

           It’s time to come clean. “I love you,” he says, surprised by how easily the words slip out of his mouth. It wasn’t like when he’d told Iris for the first time—it wasn’t scary, or painful, or sad. Maybe because this time he was so, so  _sure_ of his feelings. Not that he hadn’t loved Iris. He had, really. But this felt different. This wasn’t a dull aching in his chest, an ever-present pit in his stomach like it was for Iris. This was a rush of butterflies, a feeling of elatedness, like he was flying. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out,” he explains, carefully watching Caitlin’s expression. She still looks angry at him, but she also looks somehow relieved. He knows he has to come completely clean, though. “Cait…the time traveling. In the alternate timeline…you died. I cannot let that happen to you, not when I just figured out how I really feel about you.”

           “Barry…” her hand comes to rest on his neck. She’s still angry, he knows that. And she’ll likely be angry at him for a long time. But she’s also concerned.

           “I’m not expecting you to love me back,” he explains, suddenly afraid that he’d pressured her into an uncomfortable situation. “It’s just…I guess that’s what watching the person you love die does to you. It forces you to realize.” He’s running out of time now, and he knows it. He has to go to stop Snart. He takes the device out of her hand, sprinting away without another thought.


End file.
